Eco – Schools

Here at Cranmore we care deeply about environmental issues and want to make a positive change in the environment around us and beyond. Our Eco-Council is the driving force behind this!

Fantastic news! We were awarded our third Green Flag in June 2016. The assessors were very impressed with the Eco-Council. They enjoyed being shown around the school grounds and seeing all the wonderful projects that our pupils have been involved in. Well done everyone! Keep up the good work!

Meet our new Eco-Council Members

There are two representatives from each class and they are all doing a great job. They are responsible for making sure lights are turned off when not needed, both in classrooms and along the corridor. The Eco Council is also responsible for making sure taps are turned off properly and plants in classrooms watered using water from the water butt. They also promote the use of refillable water bottles. In the playground they also encourage everyone to put their litter in the bins. No litter bugs allowed!

As part of our on-going Eco-School work we took part in ‘Switch off Fortnight’ which ran from 14 – 27 November. The Eco-Council discussed ways we could try to reduce our energy consumption Ideas included turning off some of the lights in the corridors, resource areas and classrooms; switching lights off when leaving a room and cutting down on the amount of time spent using computers and interactive whiteboards. We also had two ‘Power Down Days’ when staff and pupils tried not to use any devices at all! Each day during the week the P6 Eco-Council members also took readings of our energy usage for the day. This will help us to work out our average daily energy usage.

Caring for our school groundsWe have school grounds that we can be very proud of and that are used extensively by all children. We also have an outdoor learning area with planting areas to be used currently in the spring and summer terms. Eco club has also spent a lot of time planting bulbs, weeding and maintaining the school grounds and will continue to do so throughout the year. We also planted trees in our beautiful Legacy Garden.

The Eco- Club, with the help of Mr Magee and Mr McCorrie from Belfast City Council, planted a range of vegetables including radishes, lettuce and kohlrabi in our polytunnel. As you can see from the photo below, they enjoyed picking the fruits of their labour!

Look how busy they have also been planting and weeding!

Our Eco-Code
The Eco-Council created our new Eco-Code and it is displayed in every classroom as well as on our Eco-Board.

New PolytunnelThe whole school was involved in the creation of a polytunnel in the school grounds.

All classes have a designated area within the polytunnel. Each year group has responsibility for planting flowers, growing vegetables or herbs.

The children were involved in planting wild flower seeds to create a wildflower area.

Best Kept Classroom AwardWe are trying to encourage our pupils to take a more active role in looking after the environment. We are therefore going to award a trophy every week to the class who keeps their classroom the cleanest. The caretaker, Mr Mc Donald, will assess the classrooms at the end of each day and award points. The class with the most points at the end of each week will get the trophy and a treat such as extra play time or extra time on the iPads.

Enhancing the School Grounds

Pupils from each class have been involved in planting a selection of bedding plants throughout the school grounds. They take turns to water and care for these. The Foundation Stage has also created a Sensory Garden in their outdoor play area. This includes sweet pea, curry plants, Rosemary, Lavender and chives. Mint has also been planted in a separate container. The Eco Club have also been busy. Mr Magee, one of our Grandparents, has kindly agreed to help every Wednesday. With his expert advice and experience we will continue to enhance the school grounds. Any bedding plants you would like to donate will be gratefully accepted to help us achieve this aim.